Retuned
by Amaryuu-no-Reichi
Summary: Dark times are on the horizon as a new foe the likes of which the smashers have never seen prepares to plunge their world and all worlds into darkness. As smashers vanish one by one, the survivors race against time to find the one behind the curtain.
1. Chapter 1: The world that was and wasn't

RE-tuned

Prologue Chapter 1: The world that was and wasn't

By: Amaryuu-no-Reichi

AN: Thank you to Nano Carp and Ryuu-kun for looking this over for me.

"~*~"

_Death, why is it always death? Why did the people he loved have to die?_

Lucas wants to cry as his brother embraces him one final time. Tears gather in his eyes as the familiar scent of his brother enters his nostrils. Holding his brother close, Lucas begins to cry softly. Claus gives a racking cough that Lucas is sure was meant to be a chuckle at his expense.

"Come on Luc, don't cry. I'm sorry all of this happened. But… I'm happy that you could be here at the end. Thank you, little brother, and I'm so sorry. I should've listened to you. I'm… I'm going to be with mother now Lucas. Goodbye and thank you." Claus whispers softly light of life leaving his eyes as they slowly slid shut. Lucas gently lowers his failing body to the ground. Claus manages a final smile before he is gone. Lucas lets out another tiny sob.

"Claus…" He whispers softly as their father stands over them Lucas's pain reflected in his eyes.

"Lucas… thank you. For bringing him back to himself and please forgive your brother for all that he has done." Flint whispers kneeling next to the body of his second son resting a gentle hand on Lucas's head.

"It's time, Lucas, time to end this. Are you ready to pull the final needle?" Flint asks soothingly, Lucas nods, his eyes still leaking tears.

"Be strong Lucas, Your mother and Claus have entrusted you with our destiny, believe in yourself for them. There's nothing that needs to be sealed away anymore. Let's make that dragon, sleeping deep underground our new ally and friend. Let him see your spirit, ask him with all your heart to protect all things. I and everyone else believe you can do it; you just need to believe. The dragon is waiting." Flint murmurs helping his boy stand. Lucas gives his father a shaky smile before he steps gingerly around the prone form of his twin and towards the final needle.

As he take it in hand, he imagines all the pain and suffering that has been caused by these seven seemingly insignificant needles. He imagines all the lives lost and the families destroyed and he asks the dragon as he grips the needle tightly to make the world a better place, a place where no one had to suffer as he and his family had. And, he yanks the needle free. The needle disappears in a column of light and the ground begins to shake. The ground where the needle stood erupts in a geyser of steam and his world vanishes in a white array of light.

"*~*"

Lucas opens his eyes and sees an endless sea of white. Confused he tries to remember what he'd been doing before he woke here. After a few moments of vainly trying to jog his memory, he gives up frustrated. A childish giggle sounds behind him. Startled and frustrated that someone was laughing at his misfortune, he turns to glare in the direction of the sound. There is no one there, but the giggling intensifies.

"Oh scary!" the voice titters clearly amused and Lucas huffs softly offended at its teasing.

"Aw! Don't pout! If you don't, I'll tell you who I am!" the voice wheedles and Lucas sighs letting the petulant expression fall. It wasn't as if it was having an effect anyway.

"Much better. My name is !%&&!." The voice murmurs. Lucas frowns not quite catching the being's name. Opening his mouth, he went to ask it to repeat what it had said but to his shock, he found he could not speak.

"No time for question. No that's a lie; there is plenty of time and so, so little. Now is not the time for questions or answers. You're still not ready yet even after all you've been through." The child like voice explains and Lucas feels something embrace him tightly.

"Remember my voice Lucas, we will meet again. Now, it's time for you to wake up. So, wake up Lucas." The child-like voice whispers in his ear as the white world around him begins to fade.

'~*~'

Lucas feels the arms around him move to his shoulder and the sensation of being shaken causes his eyes to snap open in confusion.

"Wake up Lucas, Snap out of it!" it was Kumatora and she was shaking him like a ragdoll.

"I'm—mm-m A-awake- ku-mu" Lucas stutters words interrupted by the frantic shaking.

"Kuma, you're going to make him pass out again." Duster murmurs resting a hand on the girls shoulder snapping her out of her worried tirade. Lucas collapses in an undignified heap after he was abruptly let go by the excitable tomboyish princess.

"Glad to see you too." Lucas grumbles into the dirt softly as she helps him up apologizing quickly.

"My bad. I'm sorry Lucas but, we couldn't wake you, we were worried." Kumatora murmurs explaining her rather abrupt actions.

"Couldn't wake me? How long was I out?" Lucas asks confused.

"Just a few moments, we were about to carry you out of here when you woke up on your own." Duster explains as the ground shakes violently.

"Let's continue this conversation outside!" Flint grunts lifting Lucas into his arms. He then proceeds to carry him out of the collapsing cavern, Duster, Kumatora and Boney scrambling to keep up behind him. Lucas notices as they flee for their lives, that Duster is carrying Claus's body and he feels something warm inside his heart.

"~*~"

They barely manage to make it out of the caverns underneath the Empire Porky building alive. And, it comes to no little surprise to the group when they realize that it wasn't just the caverns that were falling apart. They look on with dismay as parts of the world around them vanish before their eyes.

"What...What the hell is this?" Kumatora asks voice soundless with horror eyes wide her bravado gone for once.

"It looks like the world is falling apart." Flint mutters eyes shaded by his hat as he sets Lucas down. Kumatora looks at him with something akin to anger and despair in her eyes.

"WHY? We worked so hard to save this world! Lucas pulled the final needle! LUCAS! So why then is our world dying?" She yells angrily, tears falling from her eyes.

"I don't know." Flint mutters looking away. Lucas, Bony, and Duster can only watch in horrified silence, as New Pork City vanishes bit by bit, not sure if what they're seeing is real or not.

'Why is this happening? I pulled more needles than Claus did. Didn't Ionia say if I did this world would be saved?' Lucas asks himself, aghast and wondering if this was in some way his fault.

'The dragon… _**Hates**_ being confused.' A child-like voice whispers softly into his mind and Lucas recognizes it as the voice from his vision.

'Confused?' He asks faintly wondering why this person keeps contacting him.

'The dragon is confused… it hates being confused; and so, it is angry. I think.' The voice answers sounding unsure.

'You think?' Lucas asks warily.

'I know it is angry; but, I'm not sure why… the one watching might know better than me. But, even I cannot contact her.' The voice explains and Lucas nods face falling in dismay.

'So I wasn't able to stop this destruction. This is my fault.' Lucas thinks sadly

'Yes and no. The blame really lies with Claus but even then, it really isn't his fault. Pokey is the one who would destroy our world; and so, the blame really lies with him.' The voice soothed.

'But I couldn't stop this.' Lucas argues eyes filling with tears. The voice remains silent for a long time.

'No, you couldn't but… I'm not sure if you ever could have.' The voice whispers sadly and Lucas feels its presence leave his mind. Lucas falls to his knees sobbing softly. Duster who had laid Claus on the ground next to him looks over from where he was trying to comfort Kumatora eyes sad.

"Lucas." He whispers sadly though he is glad to see Flint go to his son.

"I'm so sorry." Lucas whispers sobbing softly Flint kneels next to him and wraps his arms around the boy's shoulders. Boney whimpers softly at their side

"I'm so sorry…" Lucas sobs as his father holds him watching as the city below them disappears. Soon all that's left is the perimeter of the building and it is diminishing quickly.

"_**I WON'T LET YOU! I won't let them die!"**_ a voice Lucas doesn't recognize shouts from the darkness of the empty world surrounding them startling the five beneath the building before their world fades to black.

'~*~'

An: So yeah, I'm starting a new story. WAOTBBW is still in redevelopment. I'm not sure where I'm going with it anymore and I'm currently re-planning it. Now can anyone guess who that was at the end? They speak twice during this chapter.


	2. Chapter 2: The place between

Prologue Chapter 2: The place between

By: Amaryuu-no-Reichi

"~*~"

Through the darkness of the void, Lucas could hear a voice. The same voice he'd heard before he ended up in this place. Faintly Lucas wonders how he ended up here before he decides it doesn't matter. The voice he hears sounds sad and Lucas wishes he could make it happy again.

"_I have to do something…But what can I do?"_ The voice sounds frantic and Lucas wants to tell it not to worry, that everything is fine.

"_I did this…I'm so sorry Lucas. If I had been a better guide, if I had only worked a little faster."_ Lucas doesn't blame the voice for whatever it's done, it sounds truly sorry for whatever it was so Lucas forgave it.

"_Why does everything I care for die?"_ 'Does the voice care for me?' Lucas wonders. Did this mean he too was dead? Lucas didn't feel dead; in fact, Lucas couldn't really feel anything at all.

"_**I WON'T LET YOU TAKE ANOTHER THING FROM ME!"**_ the voice sounds so angry Lucas muses faintly hoping he wasn't the one who'd upset it. He didn't think he'd taken anything from the voice. Lucas hopes it gets back what was stolen from it. The void around Lucas changes and a bright light shines in the distance. Through the haze of his mind, Lucas feels the urge to go to the light. It didn't take him long to reach it and Lucas marveled at its warmth gasping as his emotions come back to him all at once hitting him with the force of a battering ram. Every fiber of his being screams at him to take hold of the light and never let it go. As he reaches for it, he hears that strange voice one last time.

"_Breathe Lucas…__**Live.**__"_ And, with that phrase ringing in his ears Lucas takes hold of the light and the void vanishes in a sea of blinding light.

"~*~"

The first thing Lucas feels when he wakes up is an intense irritation. This was what the third, maybe fourth time he's woken up with no idea how he'd ended up unconscious in the first place. The next thing Lucas feels is an intense relief when the events before his bout of unconsciousness push themselves to the forefront of his mind. The relief stems from the realization that he is very much alive. The next feeling Lucas has is a muted fear when he realizes he's been hearing voices since he pulled the last needle. Lucas takes a brief moment to wonder privately if he's gone insane before the intense urge to find out if his father and friends are still alive to pushes the issue to the back of his mind. Siting straight up Lucas is blinded by the harsh light; after his eyes adjust, he's able to take in the world around him. He notices two things; one, the harsh burning light had been the sun, and two he was no longer in the shadow of the Empire pork building. Instead, he was again lost in a field of sunflowers.

"_Lucas…"_ startled the boy turned in the direction the voice had come from to see the figure of what he believed to be a young woman. Her form and features where obscured by the bright light she radiated.

"_I'm so sorry Lucas…"_ She whispered sadly confusing the boy.

"Why are you sorry?" He asked confused he didn't remember her doing anything to him that warranted an apology.

"_I was supposed to guide you, to help you, and yet I've failed you."_ The being whispered sadly.

"How have you failed me? I'm alive aren't I? Or am I really dead?" He asked confused not liking the figure's sadness.

"You and your world live, but at a price one that in time you alone will have to bear." The woman explained. Lucas was both relieved to hear that he and his friends and family where still among the living but he dreaded the price the figure was talking about.

"What price? Why do I have to bare it? Why can't I see you clearly?" He asked warily. The Figure's glow dimmed a bit.

"_I will explain but I must ask you to stay your questions until I'm finished I have very little time left to tell you this."_ The Woman asks and Lucas nods his acceptance.

"_This is my price, in calming the dragon I've paid a heavy price, but you the one who pulled the final needle will also pay a price. The destruction of the world however is not your fault. The first needle had been pulled long before you could have done anything to stop it. In pulling that needle, your bother sealed this world's fate. The dragon does not like being confused. When he pulled the needles Claus was without his heart and so no feeling was passed to the dragon. No that's not true Claus in pulling the needles passed on his inability to feel, his heartlessness. If I had only realized sooner what would happen… However, not all was lost. When you pulled the needle, you gave the dragon your capacity for emotion, your love, everything that you are. Because of this, I could soothe him and convince him to restore the world. But in return for the pain the two of you caused him he has taken away something very precious to you, your right to exist in this new world that you have helped to create."_ The woman whispered voice thick with sadness.

"I don't exist?" Lucas asked shell-shocked the figure shook her head.

"Yes and no, the dragon did take into consideration what you have done for this world and he allowed me to save you from the void but you no longer have a place in this world…but I can offer you a place in another. If you accept my offer, you will awake in a world unlike this one in many ways and you will be alone for a long time. If you do not accept my offer you will be returned to the void where you will remain till the end of days."

"I'll die then?" Lucas asks sadly

"There are things worse than death Lucas, if you choose the void you will never see your family again even in death, Lucas."

"What price did you have to pay?" Lucas asks bitterly

"_I was not part of your world and in acting to save it, and you, I have sealed my fate. I do not know what will become of me but I do know this. I grow weak and cold… so very cold… and the world around me grows dark as time passes. My time here is ending Lucas, you must decide and you must do it quickly." _The woman whispers voice tired and sad. Lucas observes her light dimming further to the point she appears a dark gray in his eyes.

"If I chose this new world will I be able to see my family again?" Lucas asks walking up to the dimming figure.

"_In time yes, thought how long that wait will be I cannot say."_ She answers

"If there is even a chance I'll take it." Lucas murmurs firmly and the Woman nods.

"_You will be allowed to say goodbye, are you ready Lucas?"_ She asks settling on the ground before him too tired to keep standing.

"I'm ready." He nods and lets out a yelp of surprise when he is enveloped by golden light the figure smiles as he vanishes and she is left in the endless sea of sunflowers. However, she is not alone. She turns a smile up at the two figures that chose now to appear in front of her.

"_I've done as you asked, and in time you will see him again."_ She whispers voice nearly soundless and her glows fades completely revealing a young woman with hair the color of leaves and skin the color of earth.

"_I will sleep for now... Goodnight."_ She whispers amber eyes sliding shut in sleep as ice begins to cover her form and spreads throughout the field of sunflowers turning it into a desolate frozen waste. The two remaining, observe the frozen figure with sad smiles.

"Thank you watcher, for saving my son." The first figure a woman in a red dress murmurs before vanishing.

"Thank you for keeping him on track and for baring his punishment in his place. Have a nice long nap you've earned it." The other a boy with orange hair murmurs before he too vanishes.

"~*~"


End file.
